


Backpedaling

by solar_celeste



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Infinity War (Marvel Comics), Kid Peter Parker, Kinda, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post Avengers Infinity War, Time Travel, kid!Peter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 10:16:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18364001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solar_celeste/pseuds/solar_celeste
Summary: When faith is tested, people tend to make rash decisions. Dr. Stephen Strange swears thats not what happened.The Avengers beg to differ.Why else is it now 2010? And WTF happened to Peter!?





	Backpedaling

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I've had written for a while now, whether or not I continue depends on the feedback :)
> 
> Happy reading!

Time speeds before it slows. Green light shrouds the edges of vision, memories whirling by as the earth bucks and swirls. Moments flashing backwards, like a Tv stuck on rewind. There is nothing save for confusion clouding minds across the globe as fears and laughter spin and shift from scene to scene. Most will forget the green light, and the dizziness, the confusion, their future memories. A select few will remember.

 

Those taken from sandy, apocalyptical planets, from fields in a faraway sanctuary. They will remember. Cramped office spaces, humble abodes, cozy beds. They will forget.

 

A small green stone, and the damaged hands of an ex neurosurgeon, have changed everything. He looks apologetically at Stark:

 

“ It was the only way.”

 

They were in the end game now.

 

***

 

Time stops suddenly, it is 2010. The sounds of machines, gunfire and of people screaming rips through eardrums. Tony Stark, encased in one of the older models of the iron man suits, stands in front of the smoking remains of a robot.

 

Stark expo.

 

In front of the man, a young boy in a Stark t-shirt, sweatshirt and iron man helmet, stands as still as a concrete statue. Tony is a second away from charging his blasters and taking off to find Rhodey when the kid surprises him and speaks. He hadn’t spoken in the memory from all those years ago... or was it even a memory anymore?

 

“ M-mister S-stark?” The voice is much higher and more timid than Tony remembered it but there’s only one kid he knows that calls him that. Of course that’s eight years in the future- wait... eight years in future would mean...

 

“ Peter?” The step he takes to lessen the distance between them reminds Tony the suit he’s wearing is _definitely_ not nano tech.

 

“ Wha- was’ happened?” The voice is shaky and Tony can see tiny fingers fiddle with a toy repulser. There’s a tear in the left sweatshirt sleeve. A mark of flying rubble, torn cloth probably concealing a bloody slash.

 

“ God, kid.” And it scared Tony because Peter was actually a kid now, a _tiny_ kid, and they were in the middle of the end of the world. “ How _young_ are you?”

 

Tony watches as the kid looks around him, flinching slightly as a robot crashes nearby. Then Peter looks down at himself, turning over small hands and feeling for the mask on his face.

 

“ Um... Seven?” The lack of positivity is concerning but Tony will take what he can get. All he knows is there is no possible way that he’s leaving a probably seven year old kid in the middle of a robot show down. And he’s definitely not leaving _his_ kid in the middle of a robot show down.

 

“ I’ve got to get you out of here.” Tony mumbled to himself, shaking his head at the whole situation and reinstating the suits faceplate. “ Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do, you still sticky?”

 

The kid takes a moment to touch his finger tips together, tugging, and frowning when the pads pull apart easily. Too easily for spider powers. To be honest, Tony wasn’t really expecting anything different, they’re in their younger bodies, older suits, a different year. It would have been a little weird if Peter had magically maintained Spider Kid.

 

“ That’s a no. Okay, we can work with this.” Its not going to be even as have as safe as it could have been but when did Tony ever do things safe? “ I’m going to pick you up and your going to hold on as tight as possible, okay?” He waited to see Peter nod before scooping the kid up and holding on just loose enough as to not break any of the kiddie’s ribs.

 

It took Tony a moment longer than he would have liked to admit to remember how to charge his boots before they shot up, soaring into the crazed sky.

 

“ Mm-Mister Stark?” The kids breath hitched, heart beating a mile per minute. “ H-high.” Peter’s mind was clouding, why was he flying with Iron Man? 

 

“ I know, I know, where going down now, okay?” Peter nodded, and would have been successful in strangling Stark if not for the iron exoskeleton. Tony was beyond confused, trying to remember how he had executed rescues and mended the situation all those years ago. Thanos and that rag tag team of aliens kept coming to mind as well, last he had known, the had lost the battle, not gone back in time.

 

“ Rhodes!” Hopefully the coms still worked, and if they did, and his best friend was as confused as he was? That would be a good thing. That would be a really good thing, if he was one his own in this whole mess? With a fun sized Peter Parker? Then maybe this really was the apocalypse after all.

 

“ Tony? Are you- do you know what this is?” The relief was alleviating, Rhodes hadn’t asked him that in the past, from what he remembers anyway, and he seems just as confused as his best friend. Turns out Tony isn’t alone after all.

 

“ You mean where is papa smurf, right? I was wondering the same thing.” They’ve landed on the roof now but Tony’s still holding on to Peter, assessing the battle field below them.

 

“ So about the robots-“

 

“ I can see the damn robots Rhodey!” He didn’t really mean to snap but he was confused out of his mind, there was a tiny child in his arms, and time travel was knew.

 

“ Mr. Stark said a naughty word!” Of course Peter would pick the one moment Tony’s on the coms to talk.

 

“ Tony… was that a kid?” There’s horror and disbelief in his voice, amplified by the gin fire and dying robots in the background.

 

“ Yeah, listen, I can’t let the kid out of my sight okay? I think I know how to get a hold of cap and crew just, can you handle the baddies?”

 

“ Your just walking away? Give the kid to the autho-“

 

“ It’s the damn spider kid, Rhodey!” Tony shouted. “ Look, I’ll explain more later but this kids really important in all this, just short out the robots and meet me at the tower.” He just off his com connection before Rhodey had the chance to respond.

 

 

 

Surprisingly, the tower is still standing when Tony arrives. Peter hasn’t said anything since he called Tony out on his swearing, and its a little worrying considering how much the arachnid usually chatters as a teen.

 

“ I’m going to put you down okay?” He doesn’t want to, not really. He won’t ever admit it but there hasn’t been a day since he and Pete got close that he hasn’t wanted to know the kid at a younger age, to see the spider grow.

 

Apparently Peter didn’t like the idea very much either.

 

“ No! No! No!” He screamed, probably tearing apart his kiddie lungs as he begged Tony not to put him down.

 

“ Kid I just need to get out of the suit.” As it was, Tony still had to pry tiny, mega strong fingers from his shoulders and neck.

 

Tears were unsuspected.

 

It wasn’t like it wasn’t known that Tony Stark was not a child (or even family) oriented person. He didn’t do kids, he just, they made him uncomfortable alright? And he didn’t know why Peter was crying either. The only time that Tony had seen the kid even close to tears had been the ferry incident.

 

“ Shh. Shh Pete.” He surprised himself just as much as he did the kid, comforting wasn’t something he was universally known for. Once he was free from the heavy suit, he scooped the kid back into his arms and made a slow sprint into his penthouse.

 

“ I d-don’t know w-whats hap-pening!” Yeah, Tony suspected that having a fifteen year old brain smashed into a seven year old head probably didn’t make for a nice time.

 

“ It’s okay buddy, I promise. We’re gonna figure this out.”

 

“ But I do-don’t remember!” For a terrifying moment Tony thinks the kids gonna say he doesn’t remember him, that he doesn’t remember why the Tony freaking Stark knows him so well. Tony doesn’t know if he would be able to withstand a storm that rough. “ The- the blue mister! Where- he had a name, what was his name!?”

 

“ Don’t worry about his name right now Pete. Just calm down okay?” Of course, Parker luck and all, the moment they reach the living room, the literal God of Thunder crash landed on the floor.

 

“ Man of Iron?” The God has a cape thats partially falling off his shoulder and his hair is long again but its definitely the same Asgardian.

 

“ Point break? That you?” Tony’s relieved once again, the more of them they can find and collect the better for figuring this all out while avoiding as many casualties as possible.

 

“ Yes, yes. Who is the small Mid-gardian?” Asks Thor, giving the kid a raised eyebrow and a side eye.

 

“ Spiderman, now listen up.” Naturally Thor assumes he’s joking and moves on. “ You got connections right? Real popular with the Earth folk? Do a lot of birthday parties?” Thor shrugs. “ Good enough, anyway, I need you to find Cap and the others for me, bring them here immediately. The sooner we make a playbook for this shit show, the better.”

 

Tony sighs heavily at Thors confused face and waves him away hurriedly with his free arm. Lightning encases the large form and the room is once again godless.

 

“ Alright Petey.” Stark hurries over to the counter in the kitchen, plopping the child on top with the promise of a hand as he searched beneath the sink for a first aid kit. He can’t help smiling when he finds it and rises to see eye to eye with the kid again.

 

“ Can I see that cute little face of yours Pete?” Its not really up for debate but he asks it like a question to try and make Peter feel less like his worlds just been turned backwards. The kid nods hesitantly after a moment and Tony takes this as permission to gently ease the plastic iron man helmet his intern face.

 

“ Oh, kid.” The sight he sees is both so precious and so heart wrenching it leaves his emotions in jumbled confusion. There are tear streaks making clean paths on incredibly dirty skin. Young, brown eyes, now impossibly more innocent than before, looking up at him in fear. There is snot beneath the kids nose in that childish way that always makes Tony cringe when he sees it on other children.

 

On Peter?

 

It has to be about the worst and most heartbreaking thing he’s ever seen.

 

“ How much teen Peter is in there, bud?”

 

“ I- I remember, but I gotta try real hard. I keep- keep forgettin’. Forgettin’ everyone but you.”

 

“ It’s okay Pete, we’ll find Strange and figure this out, okay?”

 

“ We need to fatten you up, squirt.” Tony pokes the little visible ribs with a finger.

 

“ Heh. You told big me that all the time.” It’s not really a smile but its the first time he’s seen Peter stop frowning since this whole ordeal started and the feeling that swells in Tony’s heart is unexplainable.

 

“ You were a stick then, too. Do you remember being big?” Tony asks.

 

“ Kinda, pieces. But it’s.... dumber.” There was something about hearing a little kid call himself dumb that just melted your heart. The fact that he was sure big Peter was speaking now, and struggling with saying things that should have been so easy for him, made it even worse.

 

“ You just got a fifteen year old brain put into that little head of yours, I’m sure your all confused.” Peter nodded and wiggled to help Tony finish shimmying his sweat shirt off.

 

The cut was bigger than Tony would have liked and had bled onto the small arm, making the situation look worse.

 

“ This is gonna sting.”

 

“ I’m a big boy!” Immediately after saying the words, and hearing how childish they had sounded, Peter clasped his hands over his mouth in both shock, horror, and frustration. Tony only sighed, it seemed the longer they were staying in the past the more that teenage Spider-kid was losing the battle to his younger self.

 

“ I know kiddie, we’re going to find Strange and Bruce and get this all straightened out, I promise you.”

 

Tony really had to stop making promises that he couldn’t keep.


End file.
